Excel vs Access?

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Guest

Hello -

Where would I find good information on the 'proper' uses for Excel vs
Access? I'm ready to start a project (user requirements are collected), but
not sure if I should use Access as the main source (with Excel helping out)
or vice-versa.

And of course, what works for THIS project may not be the best solution for
the NEXT project. So, I'm looking for a good reference to use....Any ideas?

thanks, ray
 
Ray said:
Hello -

Where would I find good information on the 'proper' uses for Excel vs
Access? I'm ready to start a project (user requirements are
collected), but not sure if I should use Access as the main source
(with Excel helping out) or vice-versa.

And of course, what works for THIS project may not be the best
solution for the NEXT project. So, I'm looking for a good reference
to use....Any ideas?

thanks, ray
Click to expand...

If you're creating a spreadsheet then Excel is the proper product to use.
If you're creating a database then Access is the appropriate product.

Access and Excel are only similar in the use of two dimensional grids to
display data on your screen. Otherwise the overlap is very small when the
programs are used as intended.
 
It depends on what type of work is being done. If you are looking for a
repository for information Access is the way to go. But if you are going to
do a lot of number crunching, then Excel is best. Don't forget you can
always move information between the 2 programs. I use both on a daily basis.
I have a database that stortes all of my letter info, chargebacks etc. THen
I use excel to do any heavy number crunching.

So if you can give a little more detail, then I can give a better way to go.
 
Here's kind of the standard I apply when deciding which product to use.

If you envision your Excel solution to have multiple workbooks and/or
worksheets with many file links, this indicates you are trying to store data
in Excel and maybe running up against the 65,000 row limitation. This forces
you to break up the data and store each "chunk" in a different workbook or
worksheet, and then maintain links to each to get your final product. I've
never seen a "multiple linked" spreadsheet really work to the user's
satisfaction. They always have to maintain the links whenever a new row is
inserted. In this case, I would use Access as my centralized "data
warehouse" back end, with the Excel spreadsheet linked to my Access database
and acting as the reporting "front end".
 
Hi Kirk -

Good recommendations .....

Any advice on where (ie websites,etc) to learn more about using Excel to
import Access data? I can certainly use the Newsgroups for specific
questions, but I honestly don't know enough about what COULD be done to ask a
specific question....

rgds, ray
 
one way to get it in is to use the Data menu...

Data, Import External Data, Import Data...

Warm Regards,
Crystal
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(: have an awesome day :)
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MVP Access
Remote Programming and Training
strive4peace2006 at yahoo.com
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I typically built an Access database to warehouse the data, and create a
table (or query) that serves as the data source for an Excel pivot table.
You can link the Excel pivot table directly to the Access table or query by
clicking Data => Pivot Table => External Data Source => Next => Get Data =>
MS Access Database => OK then browse to the database location and select the
appropriate table/query object.

If you've set up the source tables correctly, with the proper data, the
Excel user can simply use the pivot table to get the answers they need, and
Access takes care of the data storage.
 
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